Discussion on:

Nontechnical people should be barred from selling software

I have been in the industry for 20 years now and I am still trying to learn everything that I sell.
I try learn what I have to sell before I go out and see my Customers. If it is a hardware demo then I spend time on the item to know how it works. Ihave seen salesmen who have problems knowing what is in the box let alone how to use.
Remember: I do not Know Everything, I know nothing, I have to learn what is at hand and learn it well.
In todays market people look at the price tag and the customers know more then the sales rep.

It's very frustrating to talk to these non-techies. It came to the point where I wouldn't make any appointments with sales people unless I ABSOULUTELY had to. I felt that it was a waste of time talking to sales people. They usually don't bring a techie with them until the third meeting; which translates to two wasted meetings in my book. As far as the argument of geeks not being able to sell... well, they are usually talking to geeks! Something else that is really annoying is when someonein upper management was "sold" on a product and books a meeting with you and the salesperson. It usually turned out that we didn't need it, wouldn't work for us, or we had it at one time and was outdated for us. What is wrong with these managers?How do they expect non-techie managers to manage techies? My last manager listed MSCE as a requirement for my position and we were running a Novell network! ARRRRGGHHHHH!!!!!!

I thought I was the last person who could sell things when I was working as a consultant. As well as being very technical I have a strong accent which citizens of my adopted country sometimes find hard to understand but I found that honesty, technical knowhow and facts sell themselves. Get the suave salesman to present the powerpoint stuff and then answer technical questions from the people who need real answers.

I have been in the IT business for more than 8 years. I have seen fewer than 10 companies hire technical sales for selling IT products. They hire general sales with pre-sales helping them out.

I think it slows down the process.

Working for a fairly large call center offering hardware and software support, it is not unusual to have a few calls thrown in there from people who have called us because the sales people could not answer their queries. I could live with the non-technical person who is selling the product say to me "if you just hang on for a minute, let me find that answer for you" (Lord knows that as tech support, some of us find it necessary to do this from time to time I am sure)- ...I guess it amazes me that any manufacturer doesn't recognize that there will be a correlation between the sales rep who knows the product and their profits.

Whenever we buy software or hardware, the sales rep had better have not only Tech answers but be able to recommend an installation expert...if they can't ...they lose the sale.

Not sure that I agree entirely. The problem lies with "car salesmen" types that do not know or understand the product and try to ******** their way to a sale. Doesn't wash with tech savvy customers.

I do think that we need real salespersons - articulate, personable, numerate and knowledgable enough to get the customer seriously interested. There needs to be prompt and effectual technical sales backup to ensure that detailed customer concerns can be addressed. The two go hand-in-hand.

This one is easy ! Companies must make the salesman personally responsible for fixing problems when things go wrong, be this a bug in S/W, a poorly written H/W maintenance contract, or W-H-Y. I'm not saying that he has to be a S/W and H/W guru, justthat it is clearly understood by all - and written down - that the salesman "owns the problem" when a problem arises. He, in turn, is responsible for producing an effective "fix": he must have adequate resources to do this ~ i.e. S/W and H/W tech support, but he remains the "one responsible" for fixing it. At the same time, customers must ensure that they get this agreement in writing as part of the contract. Too many salesmen just dive in, get the contract signed and then disappear. Of course,the perverse practice of making a large part of their salaries "commission dependent" must cease also. Next time you're talking to a salesman, ask him what his commission on this sale is: if its more than, say, 10%, go elswhere !

Unfortunately, both will never happen...

What's really sad is that most sales teams come in because they've been asked to do so by someone within the company. Then they come in with their team of 5 or 6 people, projectors and laptops and PowerPoint and give this flashy presentation on allthe sexy details of their product.

What ever happened to doing a little research about what the company might actually want to use the product for, and gear the presentation as such? Ask the company for a list of requirements/questions a week inadvance and have these researched and ready when they come in to do the actual presentation? If something else comes up during the presentation, politely say that you'll take it back with you and get the answer within a day or 2. I'll gladly wait a day or two to get the right answer, not they answer they'll think will make the sale.

In short, it's not so much that non-tech people shouldn't sell software, they should have a process in place to allow them to do so effectively. If a tech cannot make the trip to the prospective client, have him on standby ready to take a call with questions.

The key problem you identified is neither person involved is really a sales rep. A good rep should understand all the features and functions of the software they represent so they can answer questions. You are wrong that they need to be technically proficient, they need to be functionally proficient. By the way, pharmacutical reps are not doctors, they are only trained on the functions and effects of the products they sell.

Not only should there not be non-technical people trying to sell software, neither should non-technical people be answering the phones at call centers. Many of us have been through the 800 number drills, where after 30 seconds of searching through amenu of services, then finally reaching ?Tech Support?, only to discover that the voice on the other end of the line knows considerably less about the issue you are calling about, let alone being able to provide a solution. I love the recording thatsays, ?this conversation may be recorded for training purposes, blah, blah, blah?. Oh yeah, then why is customer service so feeble. Clearly these people are not utilizing these recordings for any useful purposes. Companies constantly place their reputations in jeopardy by placing low cost, low-tech or rather no-tech people at the front door to their businesses, thinking that this represents dedication to customer service. It only makes the customers more irate, and likely to make changes in product. I have always maintained that fewer highly trained specialists are going to be more productive, resulting in more satisfied customers, as opposed to a warehouse full of low-tech people who don?t know what an IP address is. I know of one company that gets paid by the number of calls they answer. How much interest do you think these people have in solving your problem? There is going to be a backlash sooner or later. SLA?s don?t happen at the individual level, but I expect that sooner or later, some frustrated user is going to file a lawsuit against some Provider claiming loss of income/business et al, because some clown on a help desk couldn?t or wouldn?t provide the service he/she was promised. It could happen.

I'm now laid off and easing into total retirement, but what you present is absolutely in agreement with what I've experienced in my 40+ years in the industry. I've seen both ends of that sales spectrum with very few at the technical savvy end. Thelast company that I worked for did a very good job of making their sales people technically knowledgeable, but unfortunately that is not all that seems to influence the responsible buyer. So, I guess you have to pour in the right mixture of oil andgasoline.

I'm now laid off and easing into total retirement, but what you present is absolutely in agreement with what I've experienced in my 40+ years in the industry. I've seen both ends of that sales spectrum with very few at the technical savvy end. Thelast company that I worked for did a very good job of making their sales people technically knowledgeable, but unfortunately that is not all that seems to influence the responsible buyer. So, I guess you have to pour in the right mixture of oil andgasoline.

and undeniably true. Thank goodness, all our tech purchases here go through our IT first. The clients we support would have been sold up the creek without paddles long ago if left up to the software sales/vendor's pitch. These "pitchmen" haven't a clue in most cases what they're selling, why we would even want to consider it, how it would be best deployed, and they believe that their credo "just give me the money" is what all "sales suckers" live by. Seriously, I too wish that the various arms of the respective sales vendor firms would spend a little extra time in "fine balancing" the needs of the "technical" with the "sign the bottom line" when investing in their sales team. If they're too techncial, they close their ears and are condenscending to both the client and the client's IT group. If they're "quota/dollar" oriented, they don't listed anyway - they're just selling with no art/finesse. I quickly dismiss any sales/vendor who cannot meet at least the basic criteria of knowing what they're talking about. Hopefully, firms selling to me will get the point. All they have to do is ask.

....and why does management listen to them rather than to us? We are still solving the problems from non-technical sales people from two years ago.

I have had experience of SalesReps coming in and floundering when asked certain questions and the Rep being unable to answer. So to help them out I ask them do they have a mobile phone and when they say yes I then ask them to phone someone back at base to get me the technical answers I am looking for there and then. This was all achieved within a few minutes and the Rep got a sale. Technology's great isn't it?

why stop with non-technical salespersons. the more alarming fact is that non-technical managment has been(attempting) to manage all groups of technical computer staff. after all, how do you think the non-technical sales directory and sales person obtained their current (and possible previous) positions.

After 12 plus years of being an IT Tech Geek from Network Admin, to IT Manager to finally VP of IT I got tired of responding to those phone calls, pages and emails at all hours of the day. I also felt that I was thought of only as Tech Geek by Executive Mgmt. and not capable of much more. But I have always had to sell ideas to win approval or give presentations to Non Technical people for training and etc., so why couldn't I do Sales.

Six months ago I finally took the opportunity to sell mobile software and hardware solutions. It is definitely a challenge and a learning process everyday regarding the details of selling. Being the tech geek at heart that I am, I research every company I am giving a presentation to and try to tailor the demo to each prospects unique needs.

I always hated when a non tech sales person was presenting to me, how anyone can truly try to sell with out knowing the product is beyond me.

Now if I can only get a signed contract from the financial people after winning over the IT people I would really be happy. I feel like I am getting paid back from all those Sales People that I made wait for months and years to get that final approval.

Sales is a tough career choice where if you don't make the sales your family does not get to eat.

The model to consider is this

1. "The Rain Maker" This is the tech savy high power sales man with great negotiation skills that closes new deals. - Makes lots of money and the company cant survive without him

2. "Project manager and Problem Solver" The guy/gal that gets the problems and road blocks out of the way to deliver the product.

3. "Tech Grunt" - The worker in the trenches that writes most of the code restarts the server in the middle of the night and fixes the printer etc
These workers are the easiest to replace because they have the same basic skils as 50,000 other unemployed people out there"

That rainmaker is a rare individual. If it was easy then all of us would be there and making the big bucks. Closing deals with people with lots of money riding on the deal you negotiate and the jobs of your co-workers (if you are no good at it)takes a combination of nerve, ego, training, talent and experience.

I left a company I had worked at for almost 15 years that was going this route. Their idea is it is easier to train sales people to sell technology, than vise versa. While I agree that it takes a certain........Quality to be a sucessful sales person, tha same could be said of the technical field. The scene that was described rings so true- If you don't know your product, you WILL be made a fool when you are put in front of the IT people at your customers and are unable to answer basic questions. I agree with the statement- I would not buy from a pure salesperson if they were unable to answer simple questions. It is far easier to be in sales than to be technical, that is why my old company- and others are going this route. it is a cost saver- it affects THEIR bottom line. Why pay for someone technical that does not "bring money in" as sales people like to say. Hmmmmmmmm!

I have been involved for years in IT and factory automation and I have seen the situation once and again.

Very good article Jeff.

This article makes many valid points, but lets be real! It sounds like Jeff never worked with any venders before! IT venders are the same as the salespeople at Wal-Mart, they dont know, and what is worse most of them dont want to know, anything about the products they sell. Go into any retail store and ask some questions that arent answered by the printing on the box - good luck! The problem with technical-savy sales people is that technical savy doesnt make the sale - sales BS makes a sale, most purchase decisions, the yes or no of a purchase, are made by non-technical savy people, and those are the ones the sales people want to deal with. The situation described shows a very common problem in the sales situation, mis-match between technical savy and non-technical savy participants, dont let the tech folks deal with sales, let the tech folks deal with the venders tech folks first, then let the sales BS fly!

not sure about the company you were working with, but most enterprise sales involve a sales rep and a presales consultant who's sole purpose is to be the technical liaison.

" It?ll be easier for you to master the fine art of selling than it is for sales types to learn how to compute.".... Yo' Momma.

Remember 'Office Space' ? ... They don't have any #%^&*! people skills

It was refreshing to read this article stating a position that I've taken for years. I work for an Engineering Consulting company but the same principle applies to our sales force. They are trying to sell services that they do not understand and, as often as not, they lose a sale because they do not know that we can do the required work or because they incorrectly state that we have certain capabilities and then have to retract those statements. And this applies to Best Buy (et al) as well.I cannot count the number of times I have been given blatantly incorrect information by salesmen in retail stores. Bravo on this article!

What we have here is a failure to communicate...

You wouldn't hire a sales person because of his/her technical skills any more than you'd hire a software engineer because of his/her sales skills.

It sounds like the more fundamental problem hasto do with knowing the customer and understanding the sales cycle for the product. The marketing experts should first identify the target segment, identify the buyers & influencers business problems, differentiate the company from the competition -- and then provide the tools & materials that the sales team needs to close the deal.

If the marketing fundamentals are not completed first, it puts a lot more pressure on the sales team, and can render even the best product company as 'clueless'.

One person cannot be expected to have all the skills required to close the largest enterprise deals. Overlay sales teams comprised of executive and technical salespeople working together can work very well.

If all the fundamentals are being done and yet the customer is still calling on the engineers, it might be because they're digging for what they think is "the real story" from a less marketing-saavy person, or double-checking the sales team's answers.

All too true. One thing you didn't mention is the tendency they have to make promises that the software isn't really designed to do.

We found that after the presentation if we could finagle a tech support phone number from the salesman we could get alot of the infomation we needed to make a well informed decision, frequently in favor of the software in question.

There is nothing worse than someone not knowing the basics about the software they are peddling or for that matter upgrading to a newer release. They waste both of our time.

I think this was a deeper problem than sales. From the description, the web-based prodcut was not an upgrade of the client-server product, it was a completely independent product. It certainly was not the salesman's decision to create a brand new product and advertise it as an upgrade, it was a management decision.

I would probably guess the salesman had encountered your questions before and dreaded them at every new customer site. From similar situations I have experienced, I would guessthat the developers and salesmen who had developed the original client-server version were long gone from the company, probably due to an acquisition followed by lay-offs and no one in the company knew anything about the old system.

I see an incredibly bad, but not too uncommon, management/marketing decision, i.e., calling an independent product an upgrade for an older product. I don't think a more technical salesman would have helped; you were asking him to compare two dissimilar things. My point is that the responsibility for this problem does not lie with the salesman, it lies with the company's upper management.

"I say if you’re going to send a warm body out to talk to a technologically savvy person about buying a hardware, software, or computer consulting solution, that warm body had better have knowledge of and a knack for technology."

Unfortunately, the more common (and all too successful) technique seems to be to avoid talking to any technologically savvy people, and make all sales directly to top level non-technical executives.

I'm sick and tired of sales folk wasting what little time I have to listen to their picth when they can't answer my questions.

Even worse, when they give the "I'll get back to you on that." You know they won't.

If there were ever a time that IT vendors could hire great salespeople -- who also know how much tech vitals to learn and when to bring a REAL expert -- NOW's the time. Lots of great talent is on the bench.

Knowing the technical details gets in the way of a good lie. Not a good match for a salesman. I say that tongue and cheek.

i just want to say that i fully and emphatically agree with you in that sales people need to get out of the sales of technology related products and technically inclined people desperately need to be brought into these sales positions. in my experience, i have found that the most renowned and well-respected companies, those that are on the cutting-edge of technology, do do this and i find it a shame that the majority of the rest of the market don't follow their lead in employing tedhnically skilled and capable people to not only develop their products, but to sell and distribute them as well.

This is a great article because not only does the IT feild have a lot of nontechies sales. The IT feild is also stacked with non techie that can not comprehind technology and the pace of it. If your a Tech and your in it for the money please go and work for McDonalds. This feild suffers from people like you. Thanks

Companies could have one or more people who pretend to be potential customers, who are in fact technical people who ask very intelligent questions. The sales force could practice with these people before ever attempting to sell the product.

I've been saying this for years:

A very well respected payroll company ?A_ _?, had the same problem. I met with two of their sales reps who knew nothing of their product. It took them a whole month to get back to me with an answer to data exchange over a WAN connection. This was back in 97.

Last year I worked for a company who?s? director of sales believed it was normal for his sales team (portal application solutions), to have an 18 - 24 months closure on a sales contract. Not one had a technical back ground or has ever used the product.

Lets summarize:
It may not be a necessity for a salesperson to be tech savy, but they really should know the product they are selling. They should know enough to be able to answer simple questions concerning operation and the ability to upgrade.
The same goes true for trainers. If I ever have to show a trainer how to use their own product again, I might throw the product out a window. I'm not saying that these people need to know all about the technology, they just need to know how it works.

Sales Reps should know the product well enough or at least have information, a pamphlet or something to answer the most common questions expected. Having been a salesman, retail and commercial, I have never expected the customer to know my product better than I did, but it has happened.
I was still able to provide answers, and document those answers as long as there was a fax or Internet available and do this within a reasonable amount of time, I'd safely say one hour to 24 hours tops. Most sales reps sell more than one product, so don't realistically expect a product guru.

I worked for a distributor in a department that supported the sales department with information and configuartion assistance on our whole line of products. While I was expected to be versed in the greater percentage of our offering, the sales reps were not. I soon realized that I could provide better customer service by dealing with customers as I wouldn't have to transfer them to myself to answer questions.
Suprise it worked. I ended up being a national account rep assigned to a specific software line where I could become an expert in not only the product but how it worked and how it could help my customers. I became a sales trainer and demo'd the product line to large audiences.
The company went out of business and then I was stuckin a very very odd place.
When seeking a technical assignement I was seen as a sales person.
When seeking a sales position, I was seen as a technician.
What do I do now? I'm a purchaser.
So much for trying to fit the best of both worlds.

I wholeheartedly agree. Several years ago, I was working for a software company in their tech support/documentation/conversion/quality/upgrade department. We were a very small, but successful, company until we were purchased by a larger company. As it turns out, they "knew" more than we did about our product and customer base.

They had their own sales people and trainers who would be handling the products. These people couldn't be bothered to learn the software we had developed and they were selling and training. During our training sessions with them, they were on their cell phones constantly and didn't even put forth the appearance of caring about the product.

Once they were in the field selling the products and "training" new users, things got even worse. Clients were promised things that the software wasn't designed to do. Trainers didn't know the most basic things about how to use the software, and these two groups of people were responsible for flooding our help desk with calls from unhappy clients. In addition, the trainers were calling in for our help. They didn't want to learn at that time, either. They only wanted us to fix the problem for them.

The company is now defunct. I blame the ignorant sales people and trainers for the problems. Great programming and client services will go unnoticed if the client is oversold and underdelivered.